Global Scans · Design · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Design thinking will increasingly play a key role in improving systems and customer experiences. Companies will re-learn their approach to innovation and embrace human-centred design principles. Designers will begin to apply knowledge of human interaction, specifically in the area of how we earn trust and respect, to AI systems.

• [New] New SoC methodologies, such as the use of digital twins and other modelling and simulation (M&S) tools, have been deployed to better anticipate challenges and simulate possible outcomes so that planners can sharpen planning and design interventions. Centre for Liveable Cities Knowledge Hub
• [New] Smart Manufacturing Week 2026 will mark the official launch of Factory of the Future, a new flagship immersive demonstrator designed to show what the next generation of connected, intelligent and secure manufacturing can look like. Smart Manufacturing & Engineering Week 2026
• [New] The MDJV (Multiplex Degr? mont Joint Venture) Alliance has produced a design that is unmatched and will result in the most sophisticated seawater desalination plant in the world, the Perth Seawater Desalination Plant. Water Finance & Management
• [New] EU regulators have accused Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, of failing to tackle the risks of its addictive design on the physical and mental health of users. The Guardian
• [New] Meta must change Facebook's and Instagram's addictive design or face a heavy fine, the EU has warned. BBC News
• [New] Lockheed Martin designs each GPS III and IIIF satellite with a modular architecture, which allows us to easily integrate new technologies and capabilities to address emerging threats and enhance resilience. Lockheed Martin
• [New] The NSF FAST Engine in Oregon, led by Oregon State University, will use artificial intelligence to accelerate semiconductor design, improve manufacturing processes and shorten product development cycles. EdTech Innovation Hub
• [New] The NSF NEO-SMART Engine, led by Case Western Reserve University with more than 70 regional partners, will apply AI and machine learning to materials design and manufacturing across polymers, chemicals, coatings and metals. EdTech Innovation Hub
• [New] As US drone companies move beyond adapting foreign platforms and begin designing their own aircraft, they will need motors and controllers engineered to their specifications with faster prototyping. AgFunderNews
• [New] Under the EU's revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, member states must renovate the worst-performing 16% of non-residential buildings by 2030, rising to 26% by 2033. Last Week in ConTech
• [New] Over the next several years, the most significant evolution in enterprise software will be the transition from applications designed primarily for human interaction toward systems designed for both humans and AI agents. Manoj Gopanapalli
• [New] While consensus focuses on steady execution, the most optimistic analysts saw potential revenue near US$3,000,000,000 and earnings around US$538,000,000, which would make today's upbeat estimate revisions look conservative if AI storage demand and design wins play out as strongly as they expect. Sahm
• [New] By 2026, the most common generative AI use cases in manufacturing will be generative design, predictive maintenance, and quality control automation. Site Title
• [New] If design work for office and retail is in retreat now, Ohio Valley contractors should not expect a strong wave of new commercial shells in 2027. ABC Ohio Valley
• [New] Experience gained from Vanguard's deployment and operation will feed directly into the design of Sentinel, helping engineers refine everything from life-support systems and logistics to underwater servicing procedures before scaling up to larger habitats. New Atlas
• [New] The European Commission's Renovation Wave Strategy aims to double the annual rate of building energy renovation by 2030, targeting 35 million buildings for deep retrofit across EU member states. Persistence Market Research
• [New] Interact Analysis expects only around 26% of warehouse sites to have meaningful automation by 2027, while Gartner predicts half of new warehouses in developed markets will be designed as robot-centric by 2030, a statement about future new builds rather than the existing estate. nshift
• [New] A 2023 Interact Analysis forecast expected only around 26% of warehouse sites to have meaningful automation by 2027, and Gartner's prediction that half of new warehouses in developed markets will be designed as robot-centric facilities by 2030 is about future new builds, not the existing estate. nshift
• [New] CCROs, announced by the UK government as part of planned reforms to the Computer Misuse Act, are designed to let police and courts place restrictions on people considered high risk before they carry out further serious breaches. BBC News
• [New] Several shifts will shape enterprise identity over the next few years. kkrfgroup.com

Last updated: 27 July 2026